12,16,28,0 6,8,14,0 18,38,36,1 15,57,100,38,14,0 18,38,36,1 15,57,100,3 ... the provision of the micro-data from the QNHS for analysis ... overview and methodology

2013-2014

Summary of WorkplaceInjury, Illness and Fatality Statistics

12,16,28,0

6,8,14,0

18,38,36,1

15,57,100,3

20,27,46,0

11,27,56,0

Our vision: A country where worker safety, health and welfare and the safe management of chemicals are central to successful enterprise

Acknowledgements

The results presented in this report come from analysis prepared

by Helen Russell, Bertrand Maître and Gillian Kingston of the

Economic and Social Research Institute as part of a two-year

research programme on Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Work

involving the HSA and the ESRI and we would like to thank

the members of the research steering group for their valuable

input into the research. We are very grateful to the CSO for

the provision of the micro-data from the QNHS for analysis

and for the expertise provided by Felix Coleman of the labour

market statistics division.

1. Introduction, overview and methodology .................................................................................. 4

1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4

1.2 Overview for 2013-2014 ..................................................................................................... 4

Non-fatal injury .................................................................................................................. 4

Work-related illness ........................................................................................................... 5

Fatal injuries....................................................................................................................... 6

Implications ....................................................................................................................... 6

1.3 Data sources and methodology ......................................................................................... 7

Health and Safety Authority (HSA) ..................................................................................... 7

Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) Module on work-related accidents and illness .................................................................. 8

Eurostat statistics .............................................................................................................. 9

Occupational injury benefit statistics............................................................................... 10

1.4 Calculating accident, illness and fatality rates ................................................................. 10

1.5 Technical notes .................................................................................................................11

2. Non-fatal injury and illness statistics ........................................................................................ 12

2.1 General injury and illness statistics ................................................................................. 12

Figure 2.1: Injuries reported to the HSA 2005-2014 ........................................................ 12

Figure 2.2: Injuries reported by economic sector 2014 (HSA) ......................................... 12

Figure 2.3: Numbers employed in each economic sector 2009-2014 four-quarter average (Data based on CSO statistical release May 2015) ........................................................................................... 13

Figure 2.4: Number and rate of people suffering injury and illness 2009-2013 (CSO) ............................................................................................................. 14

Figure 2.5: Rate of injury and illness causing 4+ days lost per 1,000 workers 2008-2013 (CSO) ..................................................................................... 15

Figure 2.6: Rate of injuries (any days lost) per 1,000 workers by economic sector 2013 (CSO) ........................................................................................... 15

Figure 2.7: Rate of 4+ day injuries per 1,000 workers in selected sectors 2008-2013 (CSO) ............................................................................................................. 16

Figure 2.8: Rate of illness (any days lost) per 1,000 workers by economic sector 2013 (CSO) ............................................................................................................ 16

Health and Safety Authority | Summary of Workplace Injury, Illness and Fatality Statistics 2013-2014 Page 1

Contents

Figure 2.9: Occupational injury benefit claims (DSP) ....................................................... 17

Figure 2.10: Rate of 4+ day injuries per 100,000 workers in the EU, 2012 (Eurostat) ..... 17

2.2 Victim statistics ............................................................................................................... 17

Figure 2.11: Number and rate of injury/illness (0+ days) per 1,000 workers by economic sector and gender 2013 (CSO) ................................................................... 18

Figure 2.12: Rate of total injury (0+ days) per 1,000 workers by gender 2008-2013 (CSO) ............................................................................................................. 19

Figure 2.13: Rate of total illness (0+ days) per 1,000 workers by gender 2008-2013 (CSO) ............................................................................................................. 19

Figure 2.14: Rates of total injury and total illness (0+ days) per 1,000 workers by age band 2013 (CSO) .................................................................................................. 20

Figure 2.15: Rates of total injury and total illness (0 + days) per 1,000 workers by occupation 2013 (CSO) ............................................................................................... 20

Figure 2.16: Reported non-fatal injuries by employment status 2014 (HSA) ................... 21

Figure 2.17: Workers by nationality and economic sector 2013 (CSO statistical release May 2015) .................................................................................. 21

Figure 2.18: Distribution of reported non-fatal injuries by nationality 2014 (HSA) ...................................................................................................... 22

2.3 Nature of accidents and type of injuries sustained ......................................................... 23

Figure 2.19: Non-fatal injuries by trigger 2014 (HSA) ....................................................... 23

Figure 2.20: Number and percentage of non-fatal accidents by trigger, selected sectors 2014 (HSA) ........................................................................................... 23

Figure 2.21: Injury type by gender 2013 (CSO) ................................................................ 24

Figure 2.22: Illness type by gender 2013 (CSO) .............................................................. 24

Figure 2.23a: Most injured body parts, 2014 (HSA) ......................................................... 25

Figure 2.23b: Most injured body parts, workers 2014 (HSA) ........................................... 25

Figure 2.24: Percentage of non-fatal injuries by absence from work 2014 (HSA) ............ 26

2.4 Work environment statistics ............................................................................................ 26

Figure 2.25a Reported non-fatal injuries by work environment 2014 (HSA) .................... 26

Figure 2.25b Chart of reported non-fatal injuries by work environment, workers 2014 (HSA) ......................................................................................................... 27

Figure 2.26: Reported non-fatal injuries (%) by size of employing organisation 2014 (HSA) .................................................................................................. 27

Figure 2.27: Number of non-fatal injury reports by county 2014 (HSA) ........................... 28

Contents

Page 2 Health and Safety Authority | Summary of Workplace Injury, Illness and Fatality Statistics 2013-2014

Figure 2.28: Rate of illness and injury by region 2013 (CSO) ........................................... 29

Figure 2.29: Number and rate of people suffering injury (0+ days) and illness (0+ days) by region, 2013 (CSO) ........................................................................... 29

3. Fatal injury statistics ................................................................................................................ 30

Figure 3.1: Rate of worker fatalities per 100,000 workers 1998-2014 (HSA) ................... 30

Figure 3.2: Number of reported fatalities by economic sector (Worker and non-worker) 2014 (HSA) .............................................................................. 30

Figure 3.3: Number of reported fatalities (Worker and non-worker) by economic sector 2009-2014 (HSA) .................................................................................. 31

Figure 3.4: Rate of reported worker fatalities by economic sector 2014 (HSA) ............... 32

Figure 3.5: Comparison of fatality rates in selected sectors 2009-2014 (HSA) ................ 32

Figure 3.6: Percentage of reported fatal injuries by employment status 2014 (HSA) ...... 33

Figure 3.7: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by economic sector and age band 2014 (HSA) ..................................................................................... 33

Figure 3.8: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by age band 2014 (HSA) .............................................................................................................. 34

Figure 3.9: Number of reported worker fatalities by nationality and economic sector 2014 (HSA) ............................................................................................................ 34

Figure 3.10: Percentage of reported worker fatalities by nationality 2014 (HSA) ............. 35

Figure 3.11: Reported worker fatality rates (per 100,000 workers) by nationality 2009-2014 (HSA) .............................................................................................................. 35

Figure 3.12: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by accident trigger 2014 (HSA) ............................................................................................. 36

Figure 3.13: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by region 2009-2014 (HSA) .............................................................................................................. 37

Figure 3.14: Worker fatality rates per 100,000 workers in the EU 2012 (Eurostat) .......... 37

Appendix – Classification of economic activities .............................................................................. 38

NACE Rev 2 - Level 1 & 2 ........................................................................................................ 38

References ................................................................................................................................ 41


Published by the Health and Safety Authority, The Metropolitan Building, James Joyce Street, Dublin 1.

© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any

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Contents


1.1 INTRODUCTION

The following tables and graphs outline the most recently available statistics on occupational injury, illness and fatalities in Ireland. The figures provide key descriptive information on the characteristics of workers who experience work-related injuries and illness namely their age group, gender, nationality, and employment status (self-employed/employee). The tables also present information on the distribution of injuries and illnesses by attributes of the job and organisation, such as sector of economic activity, firm size and occupation. Information on the nature of the incident is also outlined, including the injury trigger, the nature of the injury/illness and the work environment in which it occurred. Trend data on the rates of injury and illness are derived using consistent methods so that the changes over time can be tracked.

In practice many of the workplace and worker characteristics that are associated with injury and illness are inter-related. For example, men and women tend to be concentrated in different industrial sectors and this sectoral segregation influences patterns of occupational injury and illness by gender. In order to unpack these different influences, statistical modelling is necessary and such work was undertaken as part of a research programme involving the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Economic and Social Research Institute and was recently published (Russell et al., 2015). That study complements the descriptive information presented here and provides further analysis of the risk factors and trends over time.

In Section 1.2 some of the main findings from the statistics report are outlined. The data come from a range of sources and Section

1.3 describes the sources used and the methodology used to calculate the figures in the tables. Section 1.4 outlines how fatality, injury and illness rates are calculated, while Section 1.5 provides links to further sources of information on technical issues.

Regrettably, there was an increase in work- related injuries in a number of the high risk sectors including agriculture, transportation and storage, and industry. There were 56 fatalities reported to the HSA in 2014, including 30 fatalities in the agriculture sector, compared to a total of 47 in 2013 with 16 fatalities in agriculture. While the Authority welcomes improved economic conditions and increased employment, we have previously warned that the desired economic progress may be accompanied by an unwelcome rise in the rate of people being injured and killed in workplace accidents. We urge every duty holder to be vigilant and ensure that adequate and suitable control measures are implemented to protect the Irish workforce and reverse this worrying trend.

1.2 OVERVIEW FOR 2013-2014

Non-fatal injury

There were 7,431 non-fatal injuries reported to the Health and Safety Authority in 2014. Of these injuries 7,057 (95%) involved workers, while the remaining 374 involved members of the public, including family members. There was a small increase in the number of injuries reported to the Authority in 2014 compared to 2013. The number of people in employment increased in 2014; taking this into account, the rate of reported injuries as a proportion of those in employment increased, from 3.4 per 1,000 employed to 3.7 per 1,000.1

1. Introduction, overview and methodology

1 These rates exclude accidents involving non-workers.



The Health and Social Work sector submitted 20% of the non-fatal injury reports to the HSA and the manufacturing sector accounted for 17% of reports.

The estimates based on the CSO survey module on work-related accidents and illnesses (see Section 2 for details) suggest that 18,442 people experienced work injuries requiring an absence from work of four or more days in 2013, an increase from the 17,786 reported in 2012. Expressed as a rate of those employed, this rate increased from 9.6 per 1,000 workers in 2012 to 9.8 per 1,000 in 2013 (Figure 2.4).

The highest rates of injury causing four or more days absence from work in 2013 occurred in the Agricultural, Transportation and storage, and Industry sectors, with rates of 22.8, 18.6, and 12 per 1,000 workers respectively (Figure 2.7). Including less serious accidents (0+ days absence)2 the injury rates were highest in the Accommodation and food sector (52 per 1,000) and Agriculture, forestry and fishing sector (47 per 1,000) (see Figure 2.6).

Consistent with previous years, female workers had lower injury rates than male workers in 2013 (Figure 2.12). The time series data suggest that male injury rates have increased more steeply than female injury rates. For all injuries (0+ days absence) the male injury rate increased from 22 per 1,000 in 2012 to 32 per 1,000 in 2013. For women the rate rose from 15 per 1,000 to 16 per 1,000 during the same time period. The year-on-year fluctuations can be quite large and some of this movement may be due to chance. Therefore the charts also present a three-year rolling average which smoothes these fluctuations. Detailed analysis of the trends from 2001 to 2012 found that the injury rates increased with employment growth (Russell et al., 2015). Therefore, the increase in the male injury rate may reflect the greater growth in employment for men.

Non-Irish national workers comprised 14.8% of the Irish workforce in 2013, and 16% of non-fatal injuries notified to the Health and Safety Authority in 2014 involved non-Irish national workers. Russell et al. (2015) found that taking sector, occupation, working hours and other factors into account, migrant workers were no more likely than Irish workers to have experienced a work-related injury. However, it is also likely that migrants are under-represented in the HSA and CSO figures.

Manual handling-related injuries continue to account for about one third of all non-fatal injuries reported to the Authority. The category ‘all other’ incidents were the second most common accident trigger (31%). Incidents involving aggression, fright, shock or violence accounted for 5% of the non-fatal injury reports to the HSA. Such events were most common in the Health sector where they accounted for 17% of reported incidents.

Work-related illness

The rate of illness causing four or more (4+) days absence from work has decreased from 14.8 cases per 1,000 workers in 2012 to 10 per 1,000 workers in 2013 (Figure 2.4). However, when the measure is broadened to include illnesses involving zero to three days absence (0+days), the rate increases from 27.1 to 29.2 per 1,000 workers. It should be noted that in 2012 the duration of absence was measured differently and therefore the 0+ days figure is more accurate for assessing the change over the last year. The three sectors with the highest illness rates in 2013 (0+ days lost) were Health and social work (49 per 1,000 workers), Education (48 per 1,000) and the ‘Other Activities’ which includes cultural, recreational and sporting activities (42 per 1,000 workers). Two of these differ from the three sectors with the highest illness rates in 2012, which


2 Note that the 0+ figures include all work-related injuries (illnesses) including those where there was no absence from work and longer spells of four or more days.



were Agriculture, Education and Information/Communication.

Women experienced a higher illness rate than men in 2013, 34 per 1,000 female workers compared to 25 per 1,000 male workers. This continues a pattern which emerged in 2011 (see Figure 2.13). Further analysis showed that in the period 2001 to 2007 there was no significant difference in men and women’s illness rates, but in the period 2008 to 2012 women were more likely to experience work-related illness than men (Russell et al., 2015). The trend data also suggest that female illness rates increased between 2012 and 2013 while male rates were stable.

As in previous years, older workers had higher work-related illness rates than younger workers: the rate was 33 per 1,000 workers for those aged 55 to 64 compared to a rate of 30 per 1,000 for those aged 25 to 34 years. These age patterns mirror those for illnesses that are not connected to work.

Fatal injuries

There were 56 work-related fatalities reported to the Health and Safety Authority in 2014, compared to 47 fatalities in 2013 and 48 in 2012. Of these fatalities, 47 involved workers, giving a worker fatality rate of 2.5 workers per 100,000. This was slightly higher than the 2013 rate (2.1) and the 2012 rate (2.3). The three-

year rolling fatality rate has remained relatively stable since 2009 following a downward trend between 2006 and 2009.

The highest number of fatalities occurred in the Agriculture, forestry and fishing sector with 26 worker deaths recorded in 2014, with an additional five deaths of non-workers. This compares to 21 fatalities in the Agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in 2013. The fatality rate for workers in this sector for 2014 was 23.9 per 100,000 workers. This is higher than the rate of 15.9 per 100,000 workers for 2013, but was lower than the rates of 29.1 per 100,000 in 2012, 30.2 in 2011 and 30.5 in 2010.

There were eight fatalities in the Construction sector during 2014, two of which involved non-workers. This translates into a fatality rate of 5.5 per 100,000 workers down from a rate of 9.8 recorded in 2013.

Similar to previous years, 26 of the fatalities in 2014 involved self-employed persons, including 21 in the agricultural sector. The 65+ age group accounted for 13 of the fatalities (23%). Non-Irish nationals accounted for 9% of worker fatalities in 2014 (4 fatalities). The fatality rate for non-Irish national workers was 1.4 per 100,000 compared to the rate for Irish workers of 2.6 per 100,000 workers.

The latest European statistics on fatality rates refer to the year 2012. These figures, compiled by Eurostat, report a fatality rate of 2.3 per 100,000 workers for Ireland. This is the sixth highest rate among the EU15 and is higher than the EU15 average of 1.7 per 100,000.

Implications

The most recent labour market figures suggest that in the year to the first quarter of 2015 there was an annual increase in employment of 2.2% or 41,300 persons (CSO, 2015). The economic literature suggests that economic upturns may



bring increased risks of occupational injury due to a rise in the number of inexperienced recruits, higher work intensity and longer working hours due to increased demands (Fairris, 1998; Davis and Jones,2005). In periods of financial instability reports may decrease due to greater reluctance of employees to report injuries or take illness absence during recessionary periods. This pattern was found in Ireland by Russell et al. (2015) where the risk of injuries were significantly higher in the economic boom than in the recession, controlling for the numbers at work in different sectors of the economy and other compositional changes. New recruits were also found to have a significantly higher risk of injury and illness than other workers.

The triggers for occupational injuries have remained remarkably stable over recent years with a few exceptions. Between 2013 and 2014 there was an increase in the percentage of “slips, trips and falls” in the Retail/wholesale sector as well as an increase in “all other” triggers in the Public administration and Retail/wholesale sectors. However the relative stability of triggers across economic sectors highlights the potential to predict and prevent such accidents within sectors.

In the case of fatal injuries those most at risk continue to be the self-employed in the Construction and Agricultural, forestry and fishing industry. Statistical analysis showed that between 2004 and 2013, the fatality rate for workers in Agriculture had increased, those in the Service sector decreased, while those in Construction and Industry did not alter significantly (Russell et al., 2015). The three-year rolling average suggests that the fatality rate for workers has remained stable since 2011, nevertheless the deaths of 48 workers and eight members of the public (including children) suggests that there is no room for complacency.

Ireland’s ranking position within the EU fatality statistics improved from fifth highest in 2011 to sixth highest worker fatality rate within the EU15 in 2012. This compares with rankings of fifth highest in 2010, and seventh highest in 2009 and 2008. In each of these years the Irish rate was above the EU15 average.

While the fatal injury rates have remained stable between 2011 and 2013 the figures suggest that since 2012 there has been an increase in the rate of non-fatal injury particularly of short duration as well as for shorter spells of work-related illness.

1.3 DATA SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY

A variety of sources are used to compile the summary statistics presented here. The report presents recent results up to 2013 or 2014 according to the data source used. The Health and Safety Authority results include the year 2014, while the Quarterly National Household Survey results include as far as 2013 only. No one source provides a comprehensive picture of occupational injury and illness so the strengths and limitations of each dataset are described.

Health and Safety Authority (HSA)

Employers are legally required to report incidents to the Authority when injuries result in four or more days’ absence from work. The HSA figures therefore represent a subset of accidents where the injury is serious enough to warrant an absence from work of four or more days. Incidents related to a place of work or a work activity in which a member of the public is injured are also reportable to the HSA, where the person requires treatment from a medical practitioner.3 In the tables based on the HSA data that follow, the table headings

3 For further information see http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Topics/Accident_and_Dangerous_Occurrence_Reporting/#reportableaccidents.



and notes will indicate whether the figures include or exclude ‘non-workers’.

It is known that there is significant under-reporting of accidents to the HSA as is the case in other national employer reporting systems. In 2013, 6,394 worker injuries were reported to the HSA, while the CSO figures for the same period suggest that there were 18,442 work-related accidents that resulted in an absence of four or more days (see Figure 2.4 below). These results suggest that approximately 40% of accidents/injuries are captured in the HSA. This is similar to the level of under-reporting estimated by the Health and Safety Executive in the UK, which operates a similar reporting regime.4 The incentives and disincentives to reporting non-fatal incidents can vary significantly across different groups. Comparison with figures from the CSO, suggests that under-reporting of accidents to the HSA is particularly evident among the self-employed and smaller employers. For example, 1% of work-related accidents reported to the HSA in 2014 came from the self-employed compared to 21% of the injuries causing four or more days absence identified in the QNHS module. Similarly, 9% of non-fatal injuries reported to the HSA came from firms with less than ten employees compared to 25% of injuries in the CSO data.

The HSA data also contain information on work-related fatalities during the relevant calendar year. A review of research in other jurisdictions and a pilot study in Ireland comparing coroner files and HSA reports for one county suggest that work-related road traffic fatalities are under-recorded in the HSA register (Drummond, 2007). Recent information on road traffic fatalities is available from the Road Safety Authority http://www.

rsa.ie/en/RSA/Road-Safety/Our-Research/. The fatality statistics presented also exclude deaths resulting from long-term work-related illness such as cancer. There are a number of alternative sources of information on deaths from occupational diseases in Ireland such as the National Cancer Registry and the register of deaths; however the diseases’ processes are often complex, multi-causal and can have a long latency period making it difficult to attribute death to occupational hazards (Drummond, 2007).

Despite these limitations the injuries reported to the HSA provide a consistent record of a subset of work-related injuries and deaths that has been collected in a similar manner over a period of years. The underlying definition of reportable accidents/injuries to the HSA is set down in legislation and has not changed in practice since 1993.5

The occupational injury reports in the Authority’s database are a valuable source of information on the characteristics of the accident victim, the nature of the incident, the working environment and the proximate cause of the incident termed ‘triggers’. The categories of injury recorded, work environment, injury triggers and the definitions to be used for other classification variables such as sector and occupation are set out by European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW).6

Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) Module on work-related accidents and illness

Since 1998 the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has conducted an annual special module on work-related accidents and illnesses within the QNHS, though in the earliest years only

4 It is estimated that for the period 44% of worker accidents were reported to the UK Health and Safety Executive (http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm#riddor).

5 The Safety Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations, 1993.

6 Eurostat (2013) European statistics on accidents at work (ESAW) Methodology, 2013 Edition.



a small number of questions were included. The module is restricted to those who are employed at the time of the survey or who are not currently employed but worked during the 12-month reference period. Following previous practice the illness and injury figures reported below refer only to those employed at the time of the survey or who had a job from which they were temporarily absent. The module is usually fielded in Quarter 1 and since 2009 (except 2013) the reference period has referred to the 12 months of the preceding calendar year.7

The most recent data come from the 2014 module which was held in Quarter 1 2014. Respondents were asked:

How many, if any, injuries did you incur at work (excluding commuting) during the period January 2013 to December 2013?

Those who said they experienced such an injury were asked

Now thinking about the time(s) when you were in employment during January to December, how many days were you absent from your job as a result of your most recent injury at work? 8

Information on work-related ill-health was collected using the following questions

How many, if any, illnesses or disabilities have you experienced during the 12 months January 2013 to December 2013, that you believe were caused or made worse by your work? Now thinking about the time(s) when you were in employment during the 12-month period January 2013 to December 2013 how many days were you absent from

your job as a result of your most recent work-related illness?

In 2013, the module was part of the European-wide labour force survey and a number of changes were introduced for that year only so that the data were harmonised across the EU, therefore the CSO figures for the year 2012 are not strictly comparable to those for other years.9 The four main changes were firstly the shift in field date from Quarter 1 to Quarter 2. Secondly, the reference period was changed from the previous calendar year to the 12 months preceding the interview date. Thirdly, changes were made to the question wording. Fourthly, the information on days absent was collected in grouped categories rather than the actual number of days (see HSA, 2014 for further details).

The data in the QNHS are re-weighted to reflect the national distribution of the population, and are grossed up to reflect the actual numbers in employment. In the case of both injury and illness statistics derived from the CSO, the small number of respondents experiencing such ‘events’ in the unweighted data mean that caution should be exercised when interpreting differences between groups and change over time. This issue is particularly relevant for descriptions of sub-groups such as age groups or workers within industrial sectors.

Eurostat statistics

Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union sets out methodologies for Member States to collect information and produce statistics on occupational injuries and diseases. It compiles statistics based on injury data supplied by Member States.

7 Pre-2009 the module referred to the 12 months prior to the interview date (CSO personal communication).

8 The number of days ranges from 0 to 231 for those who were absent for the whole year (52*5) -29 annual leave and bank holidays.

9 The 2007 module was also carried out across the EU and therefore similar issues arise for that year (Venema et al., 2009).



European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW) is the main data source from Eurostat and provides data on accidents based on administrative data from the Member States. The data come from national registers, public insurance/social security schemes or national bodies responsible for the collection of data on accidents at work. The data include non-fatal accidents at work causing more than three days of absence as well as fatal accidents. These data are reported in Figures 2.10 and 3.14 below. There is a time-lag for the construction of the comparative statistics so that the most recent European-wide data refer to 2012. The Irish data come from the reports to the HSA, however the number of accidents (and the rates) cited by Eurostat differ from the HSA figures. For example, the Eurostat figure for Ireland in 2012 is 9,794 for accidents resulting in more than three days absence, while the HSA figure is 6,804 or 6,590 excluding non-workers as ESAW does not include members of the public or family members (Eurostat 2001). The difference arises because, in countries without an insurance-based system (including Ireland), Eurostat adjusts the figures based on reporting levels by branch of economic activity. Eurostat also calculate the harmonised rates for a subset of sectors, excluding Public administration, Health and Education, Mining/Quarrying, because these workers are not covered in many Member States.

The harmonised statistics produced by Eurostat are available at

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/health/health-safety-work

Occupational injury benefit statistics

Figures on the number of claims for Occupational Injury Benefits (OIB) are provided by the Department of Social Protection. These represent claims made by insured persons who are injured during the course of their

work. Up until the end of 2013 claims could be made for injuries resulting in absences of four or more days.

In January 2014 the rules of the scheme changed so that payment is made from the seventh day of incapacity of work, rather than the fourth day of incapacity. This has led to a drop in the number of claims from 11,428 in 2013 to 9,768 in 2014 (see Figure 2.9) despite the rise in the size of the workforce over that period.

Previous HSA statistics reports presented the number of ‘paid claim days’ however the change to the rules of the payment mean that the figure for 2014 is not comparable with earlier years. Therefore Figure 2.9 now also presents the ‘average total duration’ which includes both the paid and unpaid days. Nevertheless, the rule changes mean that the figures for 2014 relate to a more selective group of injuries involving longer absence. This greater selectivity is likely to account for much of the increase in the average total duration of absence among claimants (including non-paid days) which increased from 47 to 57 days between 2013 and 2014.

A further limitation of these data is that not all workers are covered by social insurance, for example few of the self-employed are covered by OIB system. Even amongst those insured not all injuries result in a claim.

1.4 CALCULATING ACCIDENT, ILLNESS AND FATALITY RATES

In order to take account of changes in the level of employment both economy-wide and within different demographic groups and sectors, the rates of injury and illness are calculated per 1,000 workers. Fatality rates are calculated per 100,000 workers.

The question then arises as to what employment figure should be used for the denominator.



Previous HSA statistics reports have used a variety of reference points. In the statistics that follow the rates have been calculated using the average level of employment across the four quarters of the relevant year. As the recorded accidents and illnesses occur over a 12-month period and because employment levels fluctuate seasonally, the four-quarter average provides a better basis for calculating the incidence rate than any one particular quarter. This calculation is used for reported accidents and illnesses from both the QNHS and HSA. As the latest QNHS data on illness and injury were collected in Quarter 1 2014 and refer to illness/injury during the period January 2013 to December 2013, the employment levels were calculated across the four quarters from Q1 2013 to Q4 2013.

Since the fatality numbers were reported on a calendar year basis, the denominator for calculating the fatal injury rates is the number employed in the calendar year for all years. This is calculated by taking the average number employed across the four quarters of the calendar year, as reported in the QNHS statistics.

1.5 TECHNICAL NOTES

The HSA and the CSO use standard international classifications for statistics:

• Economic activity: NACE (Nomenclaturestatistique des activités économiques dans la Communauté Européenne: Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community), maintained by Eurostat (Statistical Agency of the European Commission). The full classification is available to download from the Eurostat website: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-manuals-and-guidelines/-/KS-RA-07-015

• Occupation: ISCO (International StandardClassification of Occupations), maintained by ILO (International Labour Organization). Further information on ISCO codes can be found on the ILO website: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/stat/isco/index.htm

• European Statistics on Accidents atWork (ESAW) – variables, definitions and classifications relating to the victim, the incident and the circumstances of the incident, maintained by Eurostat:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3859598/5926181/KS-RA-12-102-EN.PDF/56cd35ba-1e8a-4af3-9f9a-b3c47611ff1c


2.1 GENERAL INJURY AND ILLNESS STATISTICS

Figure 2.1: Injuries reported to the HSA 2005-2014

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Non-fatal accidents

8,027 7,976 8,303 8,069 7,002 7,583 7,094 6,804 6,598 7,431

Source: HSA database

The figures reported in Figure 2.1 differ somewhat from those reported in the previously published HSA annual statistics reports. There are two reasons for this discrepancy. Previously published figures for the years 2004 to 2009 included ‘dangerous occurrence’ figures and these have now been removed. Secondly, the figures for more recent years have been adjusted to include incidents that occurred within the relevant calendar year but were reported late to the HSA.

Figure 2.2: Injuries reported by economic sector 2014 (HSA)

Workers Non-workers All

N % N % N %

Q-Health & Social Work 1,443 20.4% 32 8.6% 1,475 19.8%

C-Manufacturing 1,258 17.8% 8 2.1% 1,266 17.0%

G-Wholesale & Retail trade 821 11.6% 203 54.3% 1,024 13.8%

O-Public Administration & Defence 842 11.9% 17 4.5% 859 11.6%

H-Transportation & Storage 828 11.7% 4 1.1% 832 11.2%

F-Construction 433 6.1% 9 2.4% 442 5.9%

N-Admin & Support Service 333 4.7% 4 1.1% 337 4.5%

P-Education 172 2.4% 25 6.7% 197 2.7%

I-Accommodation & Food 171 2.4% 25 6.7% 196 2.6%

E-Water, Sewerage, Waste 190 2.7% 0 0.0% 190 2.6%

S-Other Service Activities 151 2.1% 7 1.9% 158 2.1%

K-Financial & Insurance 101 1.4% 22 5.9% 123 1.7%

J-Information & Communication 81 1.1% 5 1.3% 86 1.2%

A-Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing 80 1.1% 1 0.3% 81 1.1%

M-Professional, Scientific and Technical 48 0.7% 0 0.0% 48 0.6%

R-Arts, Entertainment 30 0.4% 12 3.2% 42 0.6%

B-Mining & Quarrying 30 0.4% 0 0.0% 30 0.4%

D-Electricity, Gas, Etc. 29 0.4% 0 0.0% 29 0.4%

L-Real Estate 16 0.2% 0 0.0% 16 0.2%

All 7,057 100% 374 100% 7,431 100.0%

2. Non-fatal injury and illness statistics



Figure 2.3: Numbers employed in each economic sector 2009-2014 four-quarter average (Data based on CSO statistical release May 2015)

Numbers employed

Economic Sector 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

96,325 85,225 82,900 93,800 106,750 108,975

Industry1 259,175 245,350 240,325 236,175 240,500 239,000

Construction 158,325 121,000 107,800 100,825 102,000 109,425

Wholesale and retail trade

282,600 276,675 273,200 272,925 272,325 272,400

Transportation and storage

95,725 93,525 94,900 88,525 88,150 89,425

Accommodation and food service activities

126,925 126,700 116,525 122,825 130,825 137,200

Information and communication

73,975 74,900 76,325 79,800 80,575 81,350

Financial, insurance and real estate activities

108,075 101,875 102,000 100,925 99,300 99,975

Professional, scientific and technical activities

103,500 100,350 100,050 103,625 109,600 115,950

Administrative and support service activities

67,600 62,125 67,225 61,825 61,675 64,375

Public administration and defence; compulsory social security

106,275 104,675 101,300 96,500 95,350 96,450

Education 147,500 149,675 144,000 145,925 146,375 149,900

Health and social work activities

231,575 237,700 241,175 245,700 246,325 247,200

Other NACE activities 97,050 94,675 96,875 99,925 99,875 99,325

Not stated ** ** ** ** ** **

Total 2 1,961,275 1,882,175 1,850,050 1,851,425 1,881,150 1,913,900***

Source: Central Statistics Office, Ireland.

Note: 1 Industry=Mining & quarrying + Manufacturing + Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply + Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities: NACE B to E.

2 The total four quarter averages includes the ‘not stated’ figures.

** Figure is not reported by CSO as the estimate is unreliable due to the small size of the cell.

*** Provisional figure.

The employment figures are calculated as an average of the four quarters for the calendar year, this is a change from HSA statistics reports up to 2013. For the year 2012 due to the change in the date of the QNHS module the reference period for the purpose of calculating non-fatal accident and injury rates is Q3 2012 to Q2 2013.



Figure 2.4: Number and rate of people suffering injury and illness 2009-2013 (CSO)

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

N Rate per

1,000

N Rate per

1,000

N Rate per

1,000

N Rate per

1,000

N Rate per

1,000

Total in employment ‘000

1,961 1,882.18 1,850.05 1,851.43 1,881.15

Injury

Total suffering injury

32,010 16.3 40,584 21.6 40,097 21.7 35,001 18.9 46,574 24.8

0-3 days' absence 20,556 10.5 21,109 11.2 23,254 12.6 17,214 9.3 28,132 15.0

4+days' absence 11,454 5.8 19,475 10.3 16,843 9.1 17,786 9.6 18,442 9.8

Days lost due to injury

283,200 666,553 590,690 n.a. 758,674

Illness

Total suffering illness

30,593 15.6 38,704 20.6 48,436 26.2 50,210 27.1 54,867 29.2

0-3 days' absence 18,328 9.3 20,856 11.1 28,748 15.5 22,735 12.3 36,039 19.2

4+days' absence 12,265 6.3 17,848 9.5 19,688 10.6 27,474 14.8 18,828 10.0

Days lost due to illness

463,700 704,494 595,951 n.a. 792,875

Injury & illness

Total injury or illness

62,603 31.9 79,288 42.1 88,533 47.9 85,210 46 101,440 53.9

Total (4+ days’ absence)

23,719 12.1 37,323 19.8 36,531 19.7 45,261 24.4 37,270 19.8

Total days lost 746,900 1,371,047 1,186,641 n.a. 1,551,549

The QNHS module on work-related injury and illness Q2 2013 does not collect the precise number of days lost so the economy-wide figure cannot be calculated. Note: Note the days absent in 2012 are not strictly comparable with other years. For all the statistics based on the CSO QNHS module that follow the numbers of injuries and illnesses refer to those in employment at the time of the survey. The estimates are subject to sampling and other survey errors, and estimates and changes over time of a small magnitude can be taken to have lower precision.

n.a.: not available.



Figure 2.5: Rate of injury and illness causing 4+ days lost per 1,000 workers 2008-2013 (CSO)

Note: The rate is calculated from the four-quarter average employment for the year as outlined in Figure 2.3.

Figure 2.6: Rate of injuries (any days lost) per 1,000 workers by economic sector 2013 (CSO)

2008

0

2

4

6

8

Rat

e p

er 1

,000

wo

rker

s

10

12

14

16

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

4+ dayinjury

4+ dayillness

4+ day injuryrolling average

4+ dayillnessrollingaverage

Agriculture, forestry, fishing

Other NACE activities

Construction

Wholesale and retail trade


25

52

47

35

33

31

22

22

22

Financial, insurance and real estate activities


Total rate

Public administration and defence

Administrative and support service activities

Industry

Education


Human health and social work activities

Information and Communication

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

16

15

14

13

12

6



Figure 2.7: Rate of 4+ day injuries per 1,000 workers in selected sectors 2008-2013 (CSO)

Figure 2.8: Rate of illness (any days lost) per 1,000 workers by economic sector 2013 (CSO)

Rat

e p

er 1

,000

wo

rker

s

20080.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

All sectors Construction

Agriculture, forestry and fishing Transportation and storage

Human health and social work activitiesIndustry

0 20 6010 30 5040

Agriculture, forestry, fishing

Other NACE activities

Construction

Wholesale and retail


Financial, insurance and real estate


Total rate

Public administraton and defence


Industry

Education

29

49

48

42

33

33

27

25

23

21

19

17

16

16

15

Administration and support services

Human health and social work

Information and communication



Figure 2.9: Occupational injury benefit claims (DSP)

Year Claims allowed

Claim days (paid days

only)

Avg. duration (paid days

only)

Total days lost (inc.

unpaid days)

Avg. total duration (inc. unpaid days)

2000 11,995 2001 12,050 2002 12,280 2003 11,096 2004 11,705 2005 11,759 2006 12,416 2007 13,803 502,178 36 2008 13,017 494,866 38 2009 13,099 489,308 38 2010 11,813 423,394 36 2011 11,616 406,730 35 506,403 472012 10,972 392,436 36 509,831 472013 11,428 414,997 37 537,862 472014 9,768 414,640 43 550,050 57

Source: Department of Social Protection

Notes: Claim days refers to the number of paid claim days and therefore up to 2013 it does not count the first three days of the claim or Sundays. In 2014, claims were only paid from the seventh day. Total days lost includes these unpaid days.

Figure 2.10: Rate of 4+ day injuries per 100,000 workers in the EU 2012 (Eurostat)

NO DATA

Spain

Portugal

France

Luxembourg

Germany

Belgium

Finland

Netherlands

Italy

Denmark

Austria

Greece

EU 28

EU 15

Rate per 100,000 workers

Ireland

United Kingdom

Sweden

3,701

2,935

2,669

2,427

1,717

1,886

2,265

921

2,244

896

1,978

818

2,073

462

1,702

0 1,000 1,500 2,500500 2,000 3,000 4,0003,500

2,146

3,037

Note: The Eurostat 4+ injury rates are based on figures submitted by national agencies but are adjusted to take account of different reporting levels across countries (see discussion in Section 1.3 on Data Sources and Methodology).



2.2 VICTIM STATISTICS

Figure 2.11: Number and rate of injury/illness (0+ days) per 1,000 workers by economic sector and gender 2013 (CSO)

Numbers employed (1,000s)

Injury rate per 1,000 workers

Illness rate per 1,000 workers

Male Female Male Female Male Female

Agriculture, forestry and fishing 94,200 12,600 44.8 61.4 33.0 33.7

Industry 171,500 69,000 28.8 4.8 19.8 17.5

Construction 95,200 6,800 12.8 - 15.0 28.3

Wholesale and retail trade 140,200 132,100 23.5 21.1 17.3 32.3

Transportation and storage 72,200 16,000 37.8 12.0 37.8 12.0

Accommodation and food services 62,200 68,700 92.3 16.0 25.9 27.4

Information and communication 57,600 23,000 15.7 9.3 11.0 31.9

Financial, insurance and real estate 46,700 52,600 - 11.2 12.2 10.8

Professional, scientific and technical 64,700 44,900 18.3 4.8 17.5 27.0

Administrative and support services 31,400 30,300 20.1 11.1 9.4 22.5

Public administration and defence 49,000 46,400 54.0 14.8 26.9 19.6

Education 38,800 107,600 13.9 15.0 32.4 53.5

Health and social work activities 49,600 196,700 53.6 24.7 66.3 45.0

Other NACE activities 41,700 58,200 47.7 3.3 1.7 42.7

Not Stated * *

Total 1,016,000 865,200 32.2 16.0 24.9 34.0

- number too small to report rate * Figure is not reported as the estimate is unreliable due to the small size of the cell.



Figure 2.12: Rate of total injury (0+ days) per 1,000 workers by gender 2008-2013 (CSO)

Figure 2.13: Rate of total illness (0+ days) per 1,000 workers by gender 2008-2013 (CSO)

Rat

e p

er 1

,000

wo

rker

s

30

35

25

20

15

10

5

0

2008 2009 2010 2012 20132011

Male injury rate

Female injury rate

Male injury raterolling average

Female injury raterolling average

Rat

e p

er 1

,000

wo

rker

s

20132008 2009 2010 2011 2012

35

40

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Male illness rate

Female illness rate

Male illness raterolling average

Female illness raterolling average



Figure 2.14: Rates of total injury and total illness (0+ days) per 1,000 workers by age band 2013 (CSO)

Age range Injury rate 2013 Illness rate 2013

15-19 * *

20-24 * *

25-34 23.6 29.8

35-44 24.0 30.9

45-54 25.9 30.7

55-64 18.7 32.6

65+ * *

Total 24.8 29.2

* figure is not reported as the estimate is unreliable due to the small size of the cell.

Figure 2.15: Rates of total injury and total illness (0 + days) per 1,000 workers by occupation 2013 (CSO)

Occupation Injury rate 2013 Illness rate 2013

Managers and Administrators 12.3 28.8

Professional 16.9 28.3

Associate Professional and Technical 35.9 44.4

Clerical and Secretarial 7.7 23.7

Craft and Related 37.5 23.0

Personal and Protective Service 18.3 50.9

Sales 17.1 14.1

Plant and Machines Operatives 30.0 22.0

Elementary Occupations* 42.3 30.0

Other/not stated * *

All occupations 24.8 29.2

*includes elementary agricultural (e.g. farm workers), construction, process plant (e.g. packers), administration (e.g. postal workers), cleaning, security, sales, storage and other occupations. See ONS (2010) for a detailed description of the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2010.



Figure 2.16: Reported non-fatal injuries by employment status 2014 (HSA)

Figure 2.17: Workers by nationality and economic sector 2013 (CSO statistical release May 2015)

Number of workers

Irish Non-Irish Non-Irish as % of total workers

Agriculture, forestry and fishing 99,000 7,750 7.3%

Industry 198,000 42,475 17.7%

Construction 91,050 10,925 10.7%

Wholesale and retail trade 227,150 45,200 16.6%

Transportation and storage 76,375 11,775 13.4%

Accommodation and food service activities 88,150 42,725 32.6%

Information and communication 63,650 16,925 21.0%

Financial, insurance and real estate activities 89,500 9,825 9.9%

Professional, scientific and technical activities 97,900 11,650 10.6%

Administrative and support service activities 47,125 14,575 23.6%

Public administration and defence 93,275 - -

Education 136,225 10,175 7.0%

Health and social work activities 211,625 34,700 14.1%

Other NACE activities 83,150 16,675 16.7%

Not Stated 76,210 2,225 2.84%

Total 1,603,550 277,600 14.8%

Self-employedNon-worker

Family worker<1%

1%

Trainee1%

5%Employee

93%



Figure 2.18: Distribution of reported non-fatal injuries by nationality 2014 (HSA)

Note: EU refers to those from the EU27.

84%Irish

13%EU

3%Non EU

0.2%Not stated



2.3 NATURE OF ACCIDENTS AND TYPE OF INJURIES SUSTAINED

Figure 2.19: Non-fatal injuries by trigger 2014 (HSA)

Figure 2.20: Number and percentage of non-fatal accidents by trigger, selected sectors 2014 (HSA)

Industry Construction Wholesale & retail

Transporta-tion &

storage

Public admin & defence

Health & social work

N % N % N % N % N % N %

Body movement (no physical stress)

72 4.8 23 5.2 39 3.8 34 4.1 30 3.5 87 5.9

Fall from height 76 5.0 51 11.6 41 4.0 35 4.2 36 4.2 24 1.6

Fall on same level 183 12.1 74 16.8 309 30.2 140 16.8 157 18.3 271 18.4

Manual handling 587 38.8 124 28.1 374 36.6 319 38.4 190 22.1 433 29.4

Loss of control transport or han-dling equipment

39 2.6 16 3.6 19 1.9 65 7.8 46 5.4 44 3.0

Aggression, shock, violence

8 0.5 5 1.1 4 0.4 20 2.4 31 3.6 250 17.0

All other1 548 36.2 148 33.6 237 23.2 218 26.2 369 43.0 364 24.7

Total 1,513 100.0 441 100.0 1,023 100.0 831 100.0 859 100.0 1,473 100.0

1 Includes a small number of cases where the accident trigger is not recorded.

Fall on samelevel19%

Aggression,shock,

violence5%

Fall fromheight

5%

Loss of control,transport or

handlingequipment

4%

Manualhandling

32%

All other triggers31%

Body movement(no physical stress)

5%



Figure 2.21: Injury type by gender 2013 (CSO)

Male Female Total

Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate

Wound or superficial injury 10,453 10.3 3,610 4.2 14,063 7.5

Bone fracture 3,691 3.6 1,669 1.9 5,360 2.8

Dislocation, sprain or strain 13,129 12.9 5,758 6.7 18,887 10.0

Amputation, concussion or internal injury, burn, scald or frostbite

316 0.3 1,079 1.2 1,395 0.7

Poisoning or infection, suf-focation (Asphyxiation), other type of injury, not specified

5,101 5.0 1,768 2.0 6,869 3.7

Total 32,690 32.2 13,884 16.0 46,574 24.8

Figure 2.22: Illness type by gender 2013 (CSO)

Male Female Total

Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate

Bone, joint or muscle problem

12,945 12.7 13,225 15.3 26,170 13.9

Breathing or lung problem 2,084 2.1 1,557 1.8 3,641 1.9

Hearing problem, headache, eyestrain, heart/circulatory problem, disease

3,260 3.2 5,589 6.5 8,849 4.7

Stress, depression or anxiety 2,565 2.5 4,406 5.1 6,971 3.7

Skin problem, other types of complaint, not stated

4,638 4.6 4,598 5.3 9,236 4.9

Total 25,492 25.1 29,375 34.0 54,867 29.2



Figure 2.23a: Most injured body parts, 2014 (HSA)

All Workers Only

N % N %

Back, including spine & vertebra in the back

1,714 23.1 1,684 23.9

Finger(s) 657 8.8 638 9.0

Leg, including knee 558 7.5 535 7.6

Hand 506 6.8 488 6.9

Ankle 445 6.0 427 6.1

Shoulder & shoulder joints 474 6.4 463 6.6

Arm, including elbow 421 5.7 402 5.7

All others including unknown

2,656 35.7 2,420 34.3

Total 7,431 100.0 7,057 100.0

Figure 2.23b: Most injured body parts, workers 2014 (HSA)

Back 24%

Hand 7%

Leg 8%

Ankle 6%

Fingers 9%

Arm 6%

Shoulder 7%



Figure 2.24: Percentage of non-fatal injuries by absence from work 2014 (HSA)

Note: Excludes ‘non-workers’ includes those whose employment status is missing.

2.4 WORK ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS

Figure 2.25a Reported non-fatal injuries by work environment 2014 (HSA)

All Workers only

Number % Number %

Construction site 288 3.9 285 4.0

Farming, Forestry, Fishing (not on vessel)

114 1.5 114 1.6

Hospital & other healthcare

1,225 16.5 1,212 17.2

Public thoroughfare1 774 10.4 762 10.8

Production area, factory, workshop

1,485 20.0 1,482 21.0

Area for storage/ loading 537 7.2 534 7.6

Shop, sales, service activity area

935 12.6 716 10.1

Other 2,073 27.9 1,952 27.7

Total 7,431 100.0 7,057 100.0

1 This grouping also includes the category “Land or rail transport (e.g. train, bus, car)”.

4-6days

7-13days

14-20days

21days -

lessthan

1month

1month -

lessthan

3months

3months -

lessthan

6months

6months

ormore

Dayslost

unknown

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

%

26

29

13

9

17

31

2



Figure 2.25b Chart of reported non-fatal injuries by work environment, workers 2014 (HSA)

Figure 2.26: Reported non-fatal injuries (%) by size of employing organisation 2014 (HSA)

Area for storage/loading

7%

All other30%

Production area,factory, workshop

21%

Public thoroughfare11%

Shop, sales,service activity

area10%

Hospital & otherhealthcare

17%

Construction site4%

50-249employees

34%

250-499employees

12%

Numberunknown

2%

500 employeesor more

20% 10-49 employees23%

1-9 employees9%

0 employees<1%



Figure 2.27: Number of non-fatal injury reports by county 2014 (HSA)

Workers Non-workers Total

Clare 133 7 140

Cork 736 35 771

Cavan 106 5 111

Carlow 61 9 70

Donegal 118 12 130

Dublin 2,737 123 2,860

Galway 298 14 312

Kildare 378 12 390

Kilkenny 142 6 148

Kerry 218 14 232

Longford 48 6 54

Louth 156 7 163

Limerick 308 15 323

Leitrim 22 2 24

Laois 65 7 72

Meath 234 14 248

Monaghan 64 0 64

Mayo 118 17 135

Offaly 117 7 124

Roscommon 48 6 54

Sligo 75 4 79

Tipperary 289 13 302

Waterford 162 14 176

Westmeath 114 3 117

Wicklow 152 11 163

Wexford 153 11 164

Unknown 5 0 5

Total 7,057 374 7,431



Figure 2.28: Rate of illness and injury by region 2013 (CSO)

Figure 2.29: Number and rate of people suffering injury (0+ days) and illness (0+ days) by region, 2013 (CSO)

Injury (0+ days) Illness (0+ days)

Region Total employed (000s)

Number Rate per 1,000

Number Rate per 1,000

Border 181,900 3,166 17.4 4,611 25.4

Midlands 109,700 3,937 35.9 4,332 39.5

West 184,800 6,207 33.6 3,482 18.8

Dublin 561,100 15,515 27.7 24,408 43.5

Mid-East 220,600 2,863 13.0 2,427 11.0

Mid-West 150,500 4,079 27.1 3,076 20.4

South-East 191,300 7,080 37.0 9,824 51.4

South-West 281,400 3,726 13.2 2,706 9.6

All 1,881,300 46,573 24.8 54,866 29.2

Note: The employment figures that are used to calculate the employment rates come from a household survey (QNHS) so they refer to the region where people reside rather than where they work.

Border: Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan, SligoMidlands: Laois, Longford, Offaly, WestmeathWest: Galway, Mayo, RoscommonDublin: DublinMid-East: Kildare, Meath, WicklowMid-West: Clare, Limerick, Tipperary NorthSouth-East: Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary South, Waterford, WexfordSouth-West: Cork, Kerry

South-West

South-East

Mid-West

West

Midlands

Rate per 1,000

Dublin

Mid-East

Border

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Injury rate Illness rate


3 FATAL INJURY STATISTICS

Figure 3.1: Rate of worker fatalities per 100,000 workers 1998-2014 (HSA)

Figure 3.2: Number of reported fatalities by economic sector (worker and non-worker) 2014 (HSA)

Sector key

A – Agriculture, forestry and fishing; B – Mining and quarrying; E – Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities; F – Construction; G – Wholesale/Retail trade, repair of vehicles, personal and household goods; H – Transportation and storage; M – Professional, scientific and technical activities; N – Administrative and support service activities; P – Education; R – U – Other Nace activities

3. Fatal injury statistics

20052003 200420021998 1999 2000 2001 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Rat

e p

er 1

00,0

00 w

ork

ers 3.5

4.0

4.5

3

2.5

2

1.5

1

0.5

0

Annual rate 3 year rolling rate

Number of fatalities0 10 20 30 40

Workers Non-workers

A - Agriculture, forestry, fishing

R-U- Other NACE activities

F - Construction

G - Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motorvehicles and motorcycles

H - Transportation and storage

M - Professional, scientific and technical activities

D - Electricity, gas, etc.

N - Admin and support service

C - Manufacturing

Q - Health and social work


Figure 3.3: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by economic sector 2009-2014 (HSA)

Number of fatalities

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Total 2009-2014

A-Total Agriculture, forestry and fishing 13 29 27 28 21 31 149

Agriculture 10 22 22 20 16 30 120

Forestry 1 3 0 1 0 0 5

Fishing 2 4 5 7 5 1 24

B-Mining and quarrying 2 0 1 1 2 0 6

C-Manufacturing 1 2 2 0 1 3 9

D-Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply

0 0 0 0 1 1 2

E-Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities

0 2 3 4 1 0 10

F-Construction 10 6 6 8 11 8 49

G-Wholesale and retail trade 2 4 2 3 3 4 18

H-Transportation and storage 6 3 7 1 4 4 25

I-Accommodation and food services 1 0 1 0 0 0 2

J-Information and communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

K-Financial and insurance activities 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

L-Real estate activities 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

M-Professional, scientific and technical activities 1 0 2 1 1 1 6

N-Administrative and support service activities 1 0 0 1 0 2 4

O-Public administration and defence 2 0 1 0 0 0 3

P-Education 2 0 0 0 1 0 3

Q-Health and social work activities 1 1 1 1 0 1 5

R-U-Other NACE activities 1 1 1 0 1 1 5

Total 43 48 54 48 47 56 296




Figure 3.4: Rate of reported worker fatalities by economic sector 2014 (HSA)

Worker

Economic Sector Employee Self- employed

Family Worker

Trainee Total Rate per 100,000

Non-worker

Total

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

0 21 4 1 26 23.9 5 31

Industry (NACE B-E) 4 0 0 0 4 1.7 0 4

Construction 3 2 1 0 6 5.5 2 8

Wholesale and retail trade 2 2 0 0 4 1.5 0 4

Transportation and storage 4 0 0 0 4 4.5 0 4

Professional, scientific and technical

0 1 0 0 1 0.9 0 1

Admin and support services

0 0 0 0 0 - 2 2

Health and social work 1 0 0 0 1 0.4 0 1

Other NACE activities 1 0 0 0 1 1.0 0 1

Total persons 15 26 5 1 47 2.5 9 56

Figure 3.5: Comparison of fatality rates in selected sectors 2009-2014 (HSA)

Rat

e p

er 1

00,0

00 w

ork

ers

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2009 2010 20122011 2013 2014

All sectorsConstruction

Agriculture, forestry and fishingTransportation and storageIndustry

Transportation and storage 5.2 3.2 7.4 1.1 4.5 4.5

Agriculture, forestry and fishing 12.5 30.5 30.2 29.1 15.9 23.9

Industry 1.2 1.2 2.5 1.7 2.1 1.7

Construction 5.7 4.1 4.6 6.9 9.8 5.5

All sectors 1.9 2.2 2.6 2.3 2.1 2.5


Figure 3.6: Percentage of reported fatal injuries by employment status 2014 (HSA)

Figure 3.7: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by economic sector and age band 2014 (HSA)

A C D F G H M N Q R-U Total

0-17 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 7

18-24 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 4

25-34 3 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6

35-44 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 5

45-54 3 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 9

55-64 7 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 12

65+ 10 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 13

Total 31 3 1 8 4 4 1 2 1 1 56

Sector key A - Agriculture, forestry and fishing; B - Mining and quarrying; E - Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities; F - Construction; G - Wholesale/Retail trade, repair of vehicles, personal and household goods; H - Transportation and storage; M - Professional, scientific and technical activities; N - Administrative and support service activities; P - Education; R-U - Other Nace activities.


Employee27%

Non-worker16%

Trainee2%

Self-employed46%

Familyworker

9%



Figure 3.8: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by age band 2014 (HSA)

Figure 3.9: Number of reported worker fatalities by nationality and economic sector 2014 (HSA)

Irish Other EU

A- Agriculture, forestry and fishing 26 0

C-Manufacturing 2 1

D-Electricity, gas, etc 1 0

F-Construction 6 0

G-Wholesale and retail trade 2 2

H-Transportation and storage 3 1

M-Professional, scientific and technical activities

1 0

Q-Health and social work 1 0

R-U-Other NACE activities 1 0

Total 43 4

0-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Age Band

Nu

mb

er f

atal

itie

s

12

14

10

8

6

4

2

0



Figure 3.10: Percentage of reported worker fatalities by nationality 2014 (HSA)

Figure 3.11: Reported worker fatality rates (per 100,000 workers) by nationality 2009-2014 (HSA)

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Irish workers 1.9 2.3 2.6 2.4 2.0 2.6

Non-Irish national workers 1.7 1.8 2.6 2.2 2.9 1.4

All workers 1.9 2.2 2.6 2.3 2.1 2.5

Other EU9%

Irish91%



Figure 3.12: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by accident trigger 2014 (HSA)

Number

Accident trigger unknown 2

Attack by animal 1

Breakage of material at joints 1

Electrical problem - direct contact 1

Explosion 4

Fall from height 5

Fall on same level (slip, stumble etc) 1

Fall, collapse of material - from above 4

Fire, flare up 1

Loss of control of animal 4

Loss of control of machine 4

Loss of control of means of transport or handling equipment 8

Loss of control of object being worked on 4

Other body movement 1

Other breakage/collapse related trigger 2

Other loss of control trigger 5

Other overflow, leakage, emission trigger 1

Other triggers not listed 6

Person in inappropriate area 1

Total 56



Figure 3.13: Number of reported fatalities (worker and non-worker) by region 2009-2014 (HSA)

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Border 12 10 4 9 7 10

Midlands 2 4 4 6 4 3

West 1 5 5 6 7 6

Dublin 8 2 4 2 4 8

Mid-East 5 5 3 1 2 3

Mid-West 5 7 9 10 2 5

South-East 3 5 8 3 6 11

South-West 7 10 17 11 14 10

Total 43 48 54 48 46 56

Border: Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan, SligoMidlands: Laois, Longford, Offaly, WestmeathWest: Galway, Mayo, RoscommonDublin: DublinMid-East: Kildare, Meath, WicklowMid-West: Clare, Limerick, Tipperary NorthSouth-East: Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary South, Waterford, WexfordSouth-West: Cork, Kerry

Figure 3.14: Worker fatality rates per 100,000 workers in the EU 2012 (Eurostat)

EU 15

Portugal

Austria

Greece

Spain

France

Italy

2.3

Denmark

Belgium

EU 28

Ireland

Germany

Netherlands

Luxembourg

Rate per 100,000 workers

Sweden

Finland

United Kingdom

4.3

3.6

5.3

3.1

2.2

1.2

1.7

2.6

1.8

1.6

1.5

1.9

1.0

0.7

0.6

0.4

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00


NACE REV 2 - LEVEL 1 & 2

NACE Rev 2 code

Level NACE Rev 2 description

A 01 2 Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities

A 02 2 Forestry and logging

A 03 2 Fishing and aquaculture

B 05 2 Mining of coal and lignite

B 06 2 Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas

B 07 2 Mining of metal ores

B 08 2 Other mining and quarrying

B 09 2 Mining support service activities

C 10 2 Manufacture of food products

C 11 2 Manufacture of beverages

C 12 2 Manufacture of tobacco products

C 13 2 Manufacture of textiles

C 14 2 Manufacture of wearing apparel

C 15 2 Manufacture of leather and related products

C 16 2 Manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials

C 17 2 Manufacture of paper and paper products

C 18 2 Printing and reproduction of recorded media

C 19 2 Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products

C 20 2 Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products

C 21 2 Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations

C 22 2 Manufacture of rubber and plastic products

C 23 2 Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products

C 24 2 Manufacture of basic metals

C 25 2 Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment

C 26 2 Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products

C 27 2 Manufacture of electrical equipment

C 28 2 Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.

C 29 2 Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers

C 30 2 Manufacture of other transport equipment

C 31 2 Manufacture of furniture

C 32 2 Other manufacturing

C 33 2 Repair and installation of machinery and equipment

Appendix – Classification of economic activities

AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHING

MINING AND QUARRYING

MANUFACTURING



NACE Rev 2 code


D 35 2 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply

E 36 2 Water collection, treatment and supply

E 37 2 Sewerage

E 38 2 Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery

E 39 2 Remediation activities and other waste management services

F 41 2 Construction of buildings

F 42 2 Civil engineering

F 43 2 Specialised construction activities

G 45 2 Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles

G 46 2 Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles

G 47 2 Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles

H 49 2 Land transport and transport via pipelines

H 50 2 Water transport

H 51 2 Air transport

H 52 2 Warehousing and support activities for transportation

H 53 2 Postal and courier activities

I 55 2 Accommodation

I 56 2 Food and beverage service activities

J 58 2 Publishing activities

J 59 2 Motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities

J 60 2 Programming and broadcasting activities

J 61 2 Telecommunications

J 62 2 Computer programming, consultancy and related activities

J 63 2 Information service activities

K 64 2 Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding

K 65 2 Insurance, reinsurance and pension funding, except compulsory social security

K 66 2 Activities auxiliary to financial services and insurance activities

L 68 2 Real estate activities

WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE, WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REMEDIATION ACTIVITIES

ELECTRICITY, GAS, STEAM AND AIR CONDITIONING SUPPLY

CONSTRUCTION

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE; REPAIR OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND MOTORCYCLES

TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICE ACTIVITIES

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

FINANCIAL AND INSURANCE ACTIVITIES

REAL ESTATE ACTIVITIES



NACE Rev 2 code


M 69 2 Legal and accounting activities

M 70 2 Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities

M 71 2 Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis

M 72 2 Scientific research and development

M 73 2 Advertising and market research

M 74 2 Other professional, scientific and technical activities

M 75 2 Veterinary activities

N 77 2 Rental and leasing activities

N 78 2 Employment activities

N 79 2 Travel agency, tour operator and other reservation service and related activities

N 80 2 Security and investigation activities

N 81 2 Services to buildings and landscape activities

N 82 2 Office administrative, office support and other business support activities

O 84 2 Public administration and defence; compulsory social security

P 85 2 Education

Q 86 2 Human health activities

Q 87 2 Residential care activities

Q 88 2 Social work activities without accommodation

R 90 2 Creative, arts and entertainment activities

R 91 2 Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities

R 92 2 Gambling and betting activities

R 93 2 Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities

S 94 2 Activities of membership organisations

S 95 2 Repair of computers and personal and household goods

S 96 2 Other personal service activities

T 97 2 Activities of households as employers of domestic personnel

T 98 2 Undifferentiated goods - and services-producing activities of private house-holds for own use

U 99 2 Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies

ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT SERVICE ACTIVITIES

PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEFENCE; COMPULSORY SOCIAL SECURITY

EDUCATION

HEALTH AND SOCIAL WORK ACTIVITIES

ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION

OTHER SERVICE ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES OF HOUSEHOLDS AS EMPLOYERS; UNDIFFERENTIATED GOODS - AND SERVICES - PRODUCING ACTIVITIES OF HOUSEHOLDS FOR OWN USE

ACTIVITIES OF EXTRA TERRITORIAL ORGANISATIONS AND BODIES

REFERENCES

Boone, J., van Ours, J.C., Wuellrich, J.-P. and Zweimuller, J. (2011) Recessions are bad for workplace safety, IZA Discussion Paper Series, No. 5688.

CSO (2013) Quarterly National Household Survey, Quarter 3 2013, Statistical Release 26 November 2013, Cork: Central Statistics Office.

CSO (2014) Quarterly National Household Survey, Quarter 1 2014, Statistical Release 26 May 2014, Cork: Central Statistics Office.

Davis, R. and Jones, P. (2005) Trends and context to rates of workplace injury, Health and Safety Executive, UK Research Report 386.

Drummond, A. (2007) An Investigation into the official data sources and collection methods used to capture work-related death statistics in the Republic of Ireland, Dublin: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Health and Safety Authority.

Eurostat (2013) European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW) Methodology, 2013 Edition, Luxembourg: Eurostat.

Fairris, D. (1998) Institutional Change in Shop Floor Governance and the trajectory of Post-War Injury Rates in US Manufacturing 1946-1970. Industrial and Labour Relations Review, 51(2), pp187-203.

Health and Safety Authority (2014). Summary of Workplace Injury, Illness and Fatality Statistics 2012-2013. Dublin: HSA.

ONS (2010) Standard Occupational Classification 2010: volume 1, Office for National Statistics. Palgrave Macmillan.

Russell., H., Maitre, B., and Watson, D. (2015) Trends and Patterns in Occupational Health and Safety in Ireland, Dublin: ESRI.

Venema, A., van den Heuval, S. and Gueskens, G. (2009) Health and safety at work: Results of the Labour Force Survey 2007 ad hoc module on accidents at work and work-related health problems, Austria TNO.


References

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Documents

12,16,28,0 6,8,14,0 18,38,36,1 15,57,100,38,14,0 18,38,36,1 15,57,100,3 ... the provision of the micro-data from the QNHS for analysis ... overview and methodology